Phesanton s



(No Model.)

P. S. FENDER.

BACK BAND BUCKLE.

No. 302,772. Patented July 29, 1884.

WITNESSES INVENTOR ATTORNEYS.

N. PIJERS, Phomumn ra her. walhlngtnn. D. C.

U ITED STATES I' ATJENT (Enrich.

PHESANTON S. FENDER, OF TARBOROUGH, NORTH CAROLlNA, ASSTGNOR TO HIMSELF AND S. S. NASH & (30., OF SAME PLACE.

BACK-BAND BUCKLE.

-UPECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 302,772, dated July 29, 1884;.

Application filed May 27, 1884. (No model.)

T to whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHESANTON S. PENDER, ofTarborough, in the county of Edgecombe and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and Improved Back-Band Buckle, of which the following isa full, clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide a buckle of simple, inexpensive, and durable construction for use in supporting the traces and driving-reins from the back-band of harness, to hold the traces and reins clear of the ground while plowing or doing other work by draft-animals.

I 5 Theinvention consists of a back-band buckle made with a clasp-plate pivoted in the buckleframe, and adapted by its opposite edges to clasp the band against opposite faces of the frame, which frame carries a track-hook and rein-loop below the clasp-plate.

The invention consists, also, in particular constructions and combinations of parts of the buckle, all as hereinafter fully described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

' Figure 1 is a face view of the buckle ap- 39 plied on one end of the backhand. Fig. 2 is a face view of the buckle, the band being removed. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the buckle on the line at m, Fig. 2, and showing the band in dotted line,- and Fig. 4 is a face view of the buckle tongue or clasp-plate detached from the frame.

The letter A indicates the main frame of the buckle, which is formed with two parallel transverse slots, a I), through which the back- .10 band B passes from the back of the buckle, and a transverse slot, 0, parallel with and between the slots a I), In the slot 0 is pivoted, on a-suitable pin, 0, in the clasp-plate or tongue 00f the buckle, which plate 0, at each side of its pivot,

curves in reverse directions to form the opposite claspingedges D E, which are located directly opposite to or facing the slots a b of the buckle-frame, and so as to swing into or toward said slots for clasping the front side of the back band B against the reverse faces of the buckleframe. The band B is passed in through the slot at of frame A from the back; then through the parallel slot (1 formed in and along the upper half of the clasp-plate C, and then downward over this plate and back through the 5 5 lower slot, 1), of frame A, as clearly shown in the drawings. 7

It is evident that any downward pull upon the buckle will act by the pressure of the band B upon the upper half of the plate 0, and above its pivot d, to force the edges D E of the claspplate firmly upon the band B at the reverse sides of the buckle-frame, whereby the buckle will firmly be held against slipping on the band, which it clasps all the more firmly as the 6 5 strain on the buckle increases. I provide the clasping-edges D E with teeth or prongs 0 to secure a firmer hold of the buckle on the ban (1, said teeth being, adapted to pass through the material of the band and enter the buckleframe slots (4 b. (See Fig. 3.)

At its lower side or edge the buckle-frame A has a downward extension, as at F, which is slotted or cut away centrally at f and at the lower margin of the slot, and on the face of the buckle-frame is formed or attached a hook, G,

which rises from the frame and has an upwardly, outwardly, and inwardly curved form,

so that the point g of the hook reaches nearly to the plane of the face of the buckle-frame, 8c and rises to about two-thirds of the height of the slot f from the lower edge of the slot. This form and arrangement of the hook provides a space, H, between the main body of the hook and the plane of the face of the buckle-frame, in which space the trace-chain (not shown) may rest for support above the ground and beyond danger of entanglement with the feet of the animal drawing the plow or other imple ment to which he may be hitchedby the traces. In hanging the trace from or upon the hook G, one of the tracelinks may be pushed partly into the opening fin passing it over the end of r the hook.

At I is shown a loop or eye formed by a 5 further downward extension of the buckleframe, and below the traee-hook G, said. loop I serving to hold the driving-rein up from the ground, the rein being passed. from the animal s bit through the loop to the driver..

It will be understood that the band B passes over the animals back, and carries a buckle with trace and rein hooks, as above described, near eachend and at each side of the animal.

It is obvious that the double hold of the clasp-plate 0 upon opposite faces of the backband at D E affords much greater security against tearing out the material of the band by the clasp-plate teeth, and against a slipping of the buckle on the band, than a single-toothed 'clasping-edge acting on one face of the band only would afford, and that should the claspplate be injured, a new one can readily be substituted and at much less expense than would be required'to supply an entire new buckle.

I propose in practice to cast the buckleframe A with the trace-hook G and rein-loop I all in one piece and in malleable iron, and to cast the clasp-plate C in like metal, thus making the buckle cheap, light, and strong Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. As an improved article of manufacture, a

back-band buckle made with a buckle-frameprovided with a trace-hook, G, and a rein-loop, I, and the clasp-plate O, substantially as shown and described.

2. A back-band buckle made with abuckleframe, A, slotted at ab, for the passage of the band, and a clasp-plate, C, pivoted at e in a slot, 0, of the frame, said plate 0 having a slot, d, through which the band also passes, and toothed clasping-edges D E, adapted to clasp the band at opposite faces of the buckle-frame,

substantially as shown and described.

3. The buckle-frame A, cutaway at f, and provided with an upwardlycurved tracehook, G, as shown, and having a downward and upward bent extension at its lower end to form the rein-loop I, substantially as set forth.

4:. The combination, in a back-band buckle, of the frame A, slotted at a b c, the pivoted clasp-plate O, slotted at d and formed with reverse-toothed clasping-edges D E,'and the trace-hook G and rein-loop I, substantially as shown and described.

PHESANTON s. FENDER.

W'itnesses: I

M. A. CUnTrs, \VM. T. GRAY, J r. 

